The win was Roczen’s second of the season and third career at Angel Stadium. Tickle’s fifth-place finish was his best effort of 2015, less than a year removed from a potentially career-ending injury he suffered last March in Toronto.

Despite Roczen’s first- and second-place finishes, respectively, in the first two races, the 20-year-old 450SX sophomore standout was cautiously optimistic before the gate dropped on the third main event of the year.

“My day started out a little bit rusty,” commented Roczen, who is undefeated at Anaheim this season. “The track was really special and not easy to ride. I knew, going into the track walk, not to get stressed about the first or second practice. The track really came around in the main. It was pretty tricky. We had some ruts out there and it was a big track with long lap times. That definitely made it interesting. We got good starts when we needed them, and I think everyone can see that my Suzuki RM-Z450 works awesome. We had a great heat race so I was very confident going into the main. I didn’t get the holeshot but I was still near the front after the start and that was all I really needed.”

Roczen was second fastest in both of Saturday’s qualifying sessions and, coincidentally, finished second to Ryan Dungey in the first 450SX heat race of the program. The solid effort in his heat guaranteed the German rider a spot at the starting gate for the main event. While he settled for second in the preliminaries, that wouldn’t be the case when the money was on the line. Jimmy Albertson won the holeshot but it took Roczen less than a lap to pass Albertston, Davi Millsaps and, ultimately, Andrew Short for the top spot. From there it was all Roczen, all night, where he led all 20 laps en route to the fourth big-bike win of his young career.

“Shorty (Andrew Short) is a hard guy to pass,” said Roczen, who extended his point lead to 12. “I didn’t really want to get tangled up behind him so I had to make the move. After that, I needed to ride smart but stay focused on intensity because everyone was really fast. My bike worked awesome. It felt great and that’s all that matters. We put in a few strong laps but I couldn’t rest because Ryan (Dungey) got a bit closer sometimes during the race. Overall, it was a really good night. It was good to fight back after last weekend. We’ll keep going and hopefully, just inch away with the points lead. As long as we’re winning, we’re good.”

Tickle had a solid weekend overall. The Holly, Mich., rider was solid in both of the weekend’s qualifying sessions but a sixth-place finish in his heat race forced Tickle to race his way through the first 450SX semifinal of the night.

If confidence breeds confidence, then Tickle’s path to the main event was just what the doctor ordered. After winning the holeshot in the semi, the 2011 Supercross West Coast Lites Champion led every lap and cruised to an easy victory. That performance catapulted Tickle to his best finish of the year and offered the 25-year-old a welcome sigh of relief after a tough outing last weekend in Phoenix.

“Everything went pretty good,” explained Tickle after Round 3. “The semi set the tone for the night. Honestly, I haven’t gotten a holeshot in a couple of years. And winning the semi was important. All that confidence carried over into the main. All I did was go out there, try to ride 20 solid laps and it paid off. There was a lot of carnage midway through the race so I just tried to keep my pace going and look forward. (Justin) Barcia was close to me and I knew if I stayed close to him that I would leave a gap behind me. That was my goal and that’s kind of what happened. (Cole) Seely started catching me at the end but I still had some left in the tank, so I opened it up a little bit and gapped him just enough where I could cruise the last couple of laps. It was an awesome main event. It gives me goose bumps getting off the bike after a finish like that. I really appreciate everyone who stuck with me after the injury last year.”

RCH co-owner Carey Hart was on hand in Anaheim when the dust settled and was obviously proud of both his riders.

“The whole night is really bittersweet,” said Hart. “With Ken getting the win and to see Broc come back and finish fifth after the year he had last year is just awesome. I’m not sure who I’m happier for.

“I’m excited about next week,” continued Hart. “We’ve got a lot of momentum. Broc did great. He’s really getting his starts down. The win was a good boost for Ken to keep his confidence up. We’ll get back on the test track this week, put in the work and come into Oakland next weekend, rolling.”

Team manager Kyle Bentley was also pleased following the event but he was quick to credit the ongoing team effort that provides Tickle and Roczen with Suzuki RM-Z450s that perform at the highest level.

“I’m super excited,” said Bentley. “I couldn’t be more proud of Ken. He puts in the work during the week but I’m even happier for Broc. I’m super stoked for the whole team. We’ve put in a lot of work and a lot of effort. It’s a team deal. I also need to give credit to Ivan Tedesco for helping us during the week and getting our bike setups dialed in. I’m almost speechless. It’s a long season so we just need to keep rolling.”

The 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross heads up the Pacific Coast to Oakland next weekend when Roczen, Tickle and the rest of the RCH contingent trek to northern California for the first of two annual visits to the San Francisco Bay Area. The fourth of 17 races on the 2015 Supercross schedule will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 Saturday, Jan. 24, beginning at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

This Friday take 50% off all Men’s & Women’s apparel and headwear on our online store. Grab your favorite Hart and Huntington gear now at the lowest price of the year. While supplies last! So sit at home and enjoy the games and your family while you shop online!

Do you wanna ride and be like Carey Hart, well now’s your chance. We got hooked up from Suzuki with his Replica 2015 Rm-z 450. Just text to win or enter on our site. Contest runs through April 10. With the winner announced in Vegas May 3 SuperCross Weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

KEY FEATURES• The Suzuki Holeshot Assist Control (S-HAC) is a selectable launch mode system derived straight from the factory race bike to help riders launch from the starting gate for an early lead. There are three modes so riders can choose the best option for their skill level and riding conditions.

• A Mode: For hard surfaces or less than ideal conditions at the starting gate, hold down the S-HAC switch for more than 0.7 second, B Mode:When there is better traction and a more aggressive launch is needed, hold down the S-HAC switch for more than 1.8 second.

•The SFF-Air suspension is an evolution of the SFF system with no coil spring, reduced weight, increased inner tube diameter, and increased damper rod/piston size. The SFF-Air is made of 3 chambers and riders change the spring rate with an air pump instead of changing out the coil springs.

• Engine start has been improved with a longer kick starter lever for easier operation, a redesigned kick drive gear, a relocated kick idle gear, a newly added breather gear, and a redesigned decompression system that works more precisely and efficiently.

• A redesigned frame increases rigidity and reduces weight by 4% from the previous model.

• Cooling performance has been enhanced with the radiator hose connection being changed from a T-shaped to a Y-shaped design for more equal water flow between left and right radiators. Water flow is also increased by 16% with a redesigned water pump cover and the water hose is now directly connected to the water pump.

• The gear shift feel has been improved with a revised gear shift cam for a more precise operation. The machining process of each gear was also reviewed to increase precision of matching gears.

ENGINE FEATURES
• The piston pin has Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) surface treatment, for less friction and increased durability.

• For quick fuel adjustment setting to suit riding condition, two couplers are enclosed. One is for rich and another for lean fuel setting compared to stock setting. Riders can change fuel setting to best suit the riding conditions by simply connecting either coupler.

It wouldn’t seem possible that a rider would be looking for a new bike with a different feeling on the heels of winning the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 450 title, but Ken Roczen has apparently been looking to try something different for awhile. Roczen—who was raised racing Suzukis—is indeed leaving his old employer, Red Bull KTM, to ride for Soaring Eagle Casino/Jimmy John’s RCH Suzuki for 2015-2016. Roczen explained all in a press conference at Red Bull Straight Rhythm.

Racer X: How much can you say about the beginnings of this? When was the first time you started thinking about riding Suzukis?
Ken Roczen: I was thinking about it for a very long time just because I was at a point where I struggled a bit with the bike in 2013 and before. I’ve done my duty together with KTM. I love them, love the team, and everything, but KTM has their very own characteristic, the bike. At one point I was just like, you know what? I don’t believe in my bike anymore as much and I just felt like it was time for a change. We’ve been together for like four years or something. Luckily we have done a fantastic job this year and got the outdoor title. It was good to finish it off like that, but for me it was just time in my head for a change. I chose Suzuki because I like the RCH image, and I think together me and RCH we can do something big. I have 100 percent faith in the bike because you take them out of the box already and they’re just so good. I have a lot of good memories on Suzuki. My decision when I went with RCH, people were like, “It’s not factory.” Yes, we are factory. It doesn’t even matter; I have so much faith in the bike I’m like whatever. Just give me the bike and I’ll make it work.

Isn’t it about finding a bike and settings that work for you specifically, not necessarily about having factory parts or whatever? You can make it worth it if you’re comfortable on it?
For sure. It’s important. We have done some amazing changes to the engine and stuff. We got that way, way better, which helps out a lot. But I think in my eyes you can buy a Suzuki, I don’t even know if you need engine work really…more is not always good. It’s about putting it on the ground. I think if you have the right suspension guy, the guy you can trust, and I even have one in Germany. A guy that I’ve been with him since I was little, and he’s absolutely amazing. If I would have to I would buy a bike, get my suspension done with him, and I will be good to race.

Is that who we saw at Salt Lake a year ago? I think there was a guy that came out, no team uniform…
Possible. I think he was at a few races.

I knew you when you were on Suzuki before and it was 250, smaller bike. How much of a change is it to jump to the 450?
It is. Obviously it’s been a very long time since I’ve ridden a 250 Suzuki, but that bike was trick. We had so many cool parts. KTM was always the fastest engine over there, but I had such a good chassis and such a good suspension, I didn’t need that engine. It would have been better if you would have more, but I just made it work. I’ve always loved my bike.

How much of a difference is it on this one now? I know nobody’s going to sign up for a new team and say, “Man, this is terrible,” but how do you like the bike, and how are you settling in on it?
It’s amazing, the characteristics that are different. It’s crazy how much you notice it and we have only had a few days of testing and we already have the bike where I’m like just leave it like this right now and I’ll ride it and ride it and ride it and get confident on it. I think we just have to do some little changes, meaning once I’m good and confident. I’ve been taking five-six weeks off completely. I just want to get my fitness back. I think at one point when I start riding the bike a little harder I think I can go a bit stiffer on the suspension, but for right now I’m already really comfortable.

Where are they going mount the electric start for you?
We’ll see by A1 what happens.

How long does it take you to get that feeling back and get comfortable and settled in on it?
It depends. If you’re riding an outdoor track not long, it’ll take a day or two. But for supercross you have to be so precise. In general if you come back from an outdoor season and do supercross everything kind of feels weird, it feels super stiff. It’s just so much different. Right now, especially we started testing really early, so now with the bike I have I really just have to put in time. Like I said, in supercross it’s a little bit more difficult. You have gnarly tracks plus a totally different bike, so it’s difficult. But it’ll just take a little bit of time. I’m not even worried because I have three months right now and you don’t need three months to get ready. I think we’re on a good schedule.

A lot of racers over the years, anybody who’s raced for a period of time and stick with one particular brand for a few years, when they switch things seem just amazingly better a lot of the times just because it’s different. It brings something new. How much of that are you dealing with too? Like, first time you threw your leg over it, it feels different. Maybe it’s wider in a spot or narrower?
That’s the thing, the Suzuki is a really good bike. It’s very narrow. I think I prefer the characteristic of an aluminum frame just because the frame is stiffer. Where the KTM, it’s a wider bike, it has a lot of power, and it just bends weird. It flexes very weird. Plus the suspension, it’s more of a dead feeling. For some supercross tracks it seems good, but if you take a Suzuki off the stand, it’s so free and it’s so plush, and that’s comfort. That’s a pretty big thing that I was looking for because that’s the stuff I’ve been telling KTM the whole time; I need more comfort. So the change is done now and I’m super happy about it. Like you said, it’s a lot mentally so it’ll be just fine. I’m 100 percent sure.

Is it two years?
Yes.

What was it about RCH versus Yoshimura or some other team? What was it that attracted you here?
I don’t think Yosh was ever an option. One of the biggest things was Red Bull. All the teams they come with options. Obviously if you go to Factory Kawi you have to be Monster; there’s no way around it. I could have had my own gear deal, but here I have my own gear deal, energy drink, plus the image of the team with Carey and Ricky.

Free concert tickets…
Free concert tickets, free singing songs on the phone, I’ll just call in and start singing…plus I know Suzuki, and I think for me that was just the right direction to go and Red Bull was a big, big part of it. The last thing I wanted to do is drop Red Bull. I’ve been with them for so long, and they’re so solid that there was no way for me to leave them out.

You’re a very big guy on social media. How hard was it to stay off there during that time from the end of the season to now?
Super hard. Especially once I started riding. That was the worst part. I’m like, “Man, I want to post something so bad!” The first couple of days I posted so much because I already had pictures and stuff. It was hard. At one point I enjoyed not being on social media too much because it takes up way too much time of my day, but that’s what makes you happy, so you should do it.

Monster Energy Cup comes to Las Vegas on Saturday Oct 18 Sam Boyd Stadium, & we’ve teamed up with RCH Racing to give away 2 FREE tickets, and some swag to wear to the event!Airfare and hotel not included

TOMORROw at The Joint Hard Rock LV Present: THE SUMMER NATIONALS TOUR FEATURING THE OFFSPRING WITH SPECIAL GUESTS BAD RELIGION, PENNYWISE & STIFF LITTLE FINGERS! HH Tattoo LV Host the after show party with Byron McMackin of #Pennywise at #TheAinsworth inside #TheHardRockHotel Come party with us and also stop by the shop for $100 band logo flash tattoos, see ya then! HartAndHuntingtonTattoo LasVegas

Weston went 10-5 for 7th overall at Unadilla this past weekend, and maintains 7th in the points standings. Gotta love his effort week in and week out. Looking for another big weekend coming up.
Here are a few photos from behind the lens of Simon Cudby.

Hart and Huntington Las vegas will be represented at the upcoming Art and Ink Tattoo Festival at the South Point Hotel & Casino August 8th-10, book your appointments with any one of our attending artist online or by calling the shop at (702) 216-5360. Ryan Jenkins Tattoo Tee John Graefe Jaclyn Greb